Spiked Again
by K8wolfx
Summary: Since there was a request, this will be the sequel to "Who Did This?" When everyone graduates from the Duel Academy and goes out to celebrate, the drinks get spiked again and Alexis, Chazz, Syrus, and Bastion are knocked out. It's up for the rest to figure out who did this. Pairs: JadenxAlexis, ChazzxBlair, SyrusxMindy, BastionxJasmine.
1. Chapter 1 (Prologue)

There were nine individuals, sitting in the living room with the nearby fireplace to keep them warm on this cold winter night. They were celebrating many things that night: the couples that stayed together all these years, Atticus's actions on a special night ten years ago, and Blair's pregnancy. Zane was the only one who wasn't able to make it there, but it seemed like the other nine would've been fine without him there for tonight.

"I'll be right back," The anxious mother announced, "I'm just going to check on the kids real quick."

"Don't worry about it, Alexis," Her husband who had brown hair with an orange splash on top leaned back in his chair, "They're probably still sleeping. If not, they probably would've come out of their rooms by now and tried to figure out what was going on down here."

"You're probably right, Jaden." Alexis replied. She stood awkwardly for a second before rushing up the stairs. "I just want to make sure they're okay."

The husband identified as Jaden turned to the soon-to-be mother in the room and said, "In a couple of years from now, Blair that will be you."

"I know, but that will be the best part." Blair smiled softly. "The part that I'm worried about the most is the whole pregnancy part itself. I mean…anything could happen, right? What if I have a miscarriage, o-or twins? Sure, I'd love to have twins but the pain that I would go through-"

"You'll do fine." Blair's husband reassured her. "As long as you have me, I know you can get through this."

Blair leaned towards her husband and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you Chazz."

"Okay," Jaden stood up and put up his hands in defense, "I'm just going to say this since nobody else has yet but…you of all people talking about teamwork, Chazz, it's kind of creepy."

"What," Chazz nearly choked on his own spit, "what do you mean? It's not creepy at all." He turned to the two girls sitting across from him. "Mindy, Jasmine, tell Jaden it's not creepy."

Mindy and Jasmine thought for a second before answering in unison. "It's kind of creepy."

"How is it creepy?" Chazz asked.

"Don't look at me for explanations." Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "You're a big man who can fight his own battles."

"It's just that…you've changed a lot over the last year or so." Mindy explained. "It just doesn't seem normal."

"It doesn't matter to me whether you've changed or not." Blair told Chazz. "I'll still love you either way, unconditionally."

"I think I might barf." Jasmine's husband walked out of the room and in the kitchen.

"What? Come on, Bastion!" Blair turned to Mindy's husband. "Syrus, what did we do?"

"He's not barfing because of you guys." Syrus explained. "He's just doesn't like all the cuteness, fluff, lovey-dovey stuff going on in the room. That's why he left." He paused. "Not a bad idea."

Blair slipped off her left flat and aimed at Syrus. "If you even think about joining him, I will throw this shoe at you so hard, it will leave you unconscious."

"I-I-I mean," Syrus slowly backed away towards the kitchen. "I-I'm just going in there to um…to get some wine for e-everyone. N-Not because of…you know?" He dashed into the kitchen before Blair had the chance to throw her shoe at him. Blair lowered her shoe and sighed.

"I suppose wine would be great right now." Chazz said. He stood up and walked over to the kitchen.

Jaden waited until Chazz was out of hearing range before whispering to the others that surrounded them. "I just thought of something! We should tell the others about that one day at the bar four years ago."

"Jaden are you insane?" Jasmine protested. "We can't tell them about that day; we promised we would never speak of that day again."

"Why did we make that promise again?" Blair asked. "It's a good story, they've never heard about it, and they were probably going to find out about it sooner or later."

"I agree." Mindy said. "I suppose it's not like anything bad happened."

"Well…a few things happened." Jaden admitted.

"Hold on," Alexis's brother Atticus exclaimed. "I smell dirt! What is this story that you guys are hiding from the others?"

"Remember how you spiked everyone's drinks ten years ago?" Blair asked. "Remember how we all become couples that long ago?"

"Yeah," Atticus replied enthusiastically, "that was one of my most heroic acts!"

"There was another moment when our drinks were spiked." Mindy explained. "Only it wasn't Jaden's, Blair's, Jasmine's, or even my drink like how it was last time."

"So are you telling me that someone spiked the drinks of Alexis, Bastion, Syrus, and Chazz?" Atticus asked, his eyes wide open from high levels of curiosity.

"That's exactly what we're telling you." Jasmine nodded. "We thought it was you at first but…we've recently ruled out that possibility."

"How recently did you rule it out?" Atticus asked, clearly confused.

"Just now," Jasmine answered, "you obviously have no recollection of that day so you were probably somewhere else."

"When did this all happen?" Atticus asked.

"Four years ago, we were about 21 at that time so we went into a bar downtown." Jaden replied. He then cupped his hands and called out to his friends. "Bastion, Chazz, Sy, Lex, come over here! We've got something to tell you!"


	2. Chapter 2

**_FOUR YEARS EARLIER_**

**_Mindy's POV_**

Syrus and I, along with the others in our group who now appear to me as family, we were standing outside in the streets of Domino City around midnight. We were waiting for Jaden to run back and give us some good news. You see, Alexis wanted to make sure everyone had a fun time tonight since we normally don't get that many times to hang out ever since we graduated from the Academy. She suggested we all go to this club downtown and have a night to remember. Syrus was worried that…well there was a long list of complaints. So Jaden volunteered to go into the club, which was just down the street from where we stood, and check it out before quickly returning here to give us his opinion.

"Why don't you want to go to a club?" I asked Syrus curiously while we were waiting for Jaden to return.

"You heard me earlier right?" He questioned. "I mean, I told everyone it was about the lights, the people, the-"

"I know what you said." I reminded him. "But those reasons didn't seem like actual reasons. They seemed like excuses and lies just to get out of going there in the first place."

"They are reasons…" Syrus started to protest but then he shook his head in defeat and tried a different approach. "Look, a lot of them were excuses but I swear to you that one of the things I mentioned that I hated about clubs was true."

"And which one was that?" I asked.

Syrus hesitated. I almost felt kind of bad for pushing the information out of him, but then again I wanted to know the truth. After a long, awkward moment, Syrus spoke so quietly that I could hardly hear him. "It's kind of embarrassing. You'll probably think it's silly."

"No, I won't. I just want you to tell me because I don't like keeping secrets between us." I pleaded. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

"How about this?" Syrus suggested. "If you can guess it correctly, I will tell you the truth."

I nodded slowly. It seemed didn't seem that difficult. I was about to make my first guess when Jaden came running back towards us.

"Jaden!" Alexis ran over to him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. I had the urge to roll my eyes at the so-called-perfect-couple but I restrained myself. As Alexis broke away, she asked, "So what does the club look like?"

"I wasn't able to go in." Jaden explained. "The bouncer at the front said the place was nearly packed. He would've accepted if it were just me and the guys since there were more women in the place, however I told him that that wouldn't be an option. He told me to leave so…well…I left." He tilted his head to the left. "Do you think I should've challenged him to a duel? That might've gotten us in the club."

"No, it's alright Jaden," Alexis appeared disappointed but she put on a fake smile. "I don't think tonight is the night to make a scene."

"Well it could be." Chazz disagreed. He gestured to himself. "However, I think I would put up a better fight than Jaden. After all, I _am_ the better duelist here."

Jaden scoffed. "You really think you're the better duelist?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Chazz took a step towards Jaden. "Why don't we settle this like men?"

"If that's a duel you want, then that's a duel you're going to get." Jaden replied. He and Chazz got into position but Alexis and Blair held back their husbands.

I forgot to mention they were married, huh? Jaden and Alexis got married first, then Chazz and Blair got married a year or so later. Syrus and I got married this year around April. Jasmine and Bastion is the only couple who aren't married yet. Jasmine's been a little bit upset about that but I'll talk about that later.

"Chazz, let's just relax. We can settle this argument another day." Blair tried her best to calm down her husband.

"I want to settle this. I know I can beat him." Chazz argued.

Jaden looked to Alexis before answering, "Chazz, you should listen to Blair. We're all just trying to enjoy tonight right?"

"So are you saying that you're chicken?" Chazz countered.

"No, I'm saying that my wife put in a lot of time trying to get everyone together tonight and I don't want to be the one to ruin it." Jaden answered, unfazed by Chazz's attempts to provoke him.

"Let it go Chazz," Blair pleaded, "Please, for me?"

Chazz didn't respond. But his shoulders slouched and he let out a sigh. Satisfied, Blair gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"If I may speak," Bastion chimed in. "Since we can't really go to that one club, I suggest we start walking around and try to find a place to hang out."

"I couldn't agree more." Alexis said quickly. And with that we all left.

**_Blair's POV_**

"What happened back there?" I asked Chazz.

"How can Jaden think he's better than me?" Chazz continued to prattle on about that silly argument. "I'm obviously the better duelist. I could've proved it right then and there if you-"

"You're not even listening to me at all!" I snapped. I love my husband, but he can be so stubborn at times. "You are both equally good duelists and that's that."

"What are you saying?" He asked me. "Whose side are you on?"

"Yours; I'll always be on your side." I promised. "My point is that you have nothing to prove, nothing to worry about, nothing to be ashamed of. You don't have to prove you're the better duelist because it doesn't matter. What matters the most is that…I love you, and there is nothing in this world that could ever change that."

Chazz stayed silent for a few minutes before whispering to himself, "I'm still the better duelist."

"Well, you're not the bigger man."

"What was that?" Chazz's attention was immediately turned to me. "What did you say?"

"Say what?" I pretended to have no idea what he was talking about. "I didn't say anything! I think you might need one of those hearing aids or something because I know for a fact that I totally did not say any-"

"This bar looks nice." Jasmine announced.

Chazz and I, along with the others, turned our attention to Jasmine, who was pointing at a bar across the street. It looked pretty vacant, except for a few crowds of people drinking away their problems. The bar itself, looked to be in good shape and the employees looked willing to take care of their customers. It looked pretty small, but had plenty of room for the eight of us to hang out in.

"This seems like a great place to stay for a while." Bastion walked to where Jasmine stood and put his arm around her.

"Hmm…this place seems familiar somehow." Syrus said cautiously.

"Come on, Syrus." Mindy begged. "We've got to go somewhere tonight. This place isn't loud or obnoxious…"

"If you're trying to guess why I don't like clubs, that's not why." Syrus said. "And I didn't say I didn't like this place. I just said that it's familiar."

"What do you think Alexis?" I asked.

"Sure," She smiled. "I don't see why not."

The eight of us walked into the bar with open-minded opinions. However, we weren't expecting to see a well-known, blue haired, duelist as the bartender. After all, he could be working as a professional duelist all over the world and yet he was working at this bar.

"Zane?"

**_Jaden's POV_**

Zane looked up and I instantly saw recognition on his face. He knew who we were but he ended up saying, "can I help you?"

"Zane, it's us." I walked up to the counter Zane was working behind and took a seat in a nearby bar stool. "Come on; don't tell me you're trying to forget who we are."

"I still remember all of you Jaden." Zane explained, wiping down the counter. "But I'm working right now so I have to keep things professional. So, can I get you a drink?"

"I'll just take a coke." Alexis took a seat in the bar stool beside me. I gazed at her in the corner of my eye with curiosity. Usually, when we go to bars, Alexis always orders some kind of wine. I decided to ignore this for now; it's not like it's important. The rest of our friends sat down in bar stools around us and ordered some alcohol. Zane turned so that his back was to us as he reached for some wine bottles, beer cans, and Alexis's coke. As we waited Alexis asked Zane, "So, why are you working here?"

Zane paused. "Does there have to be a reason?"

"There kind of does," Bastion chimed in. "You gave up a career of professional dueling for this? I mean, it just doesn't make sense."

"I don't have to say anything." Zane stated.

"I will," Syrus blurted out, "he's doing all of this to help Ramona."

Zane whirled around to face his brother, a look between surprise and anger. "How do you remember that?"

"When we were walking around outside, I told the others that this place seemed familiar." Syrus explained. "I suppose I still remember a few things from the last time I came here." He turned towards us. "Zane is helping Ramona pay her way through medical school."

"Aw! That's so sweet of you!" Blair cried.

"It still doesn't make sense." Jasmine pointed out. "You could make a lot more money in pro dueling than you could as a bartender."

"True," Zane admitted.

"Trust me when I say that you're one of the greatest duelists I know." Alexis said. "You're just as good as Jaden, if not better."

"I think you're forgetting another great duelist." Chazz argued.

"Not now, sweetie." Blair told Chazz.

"Well, if you must know," Zane started, "Ramona doesn't want me traveling around because she has a bunch of student loans and doesn't think she'll be able to pay them at all. I'm helping her out by working here and giving her about 60% of what I make."

"Are you and Ramona dating?" Mindy asked.

"Well…we're just friends right now." Zane said slowly.

"Actually, she wants to be just friends so she can focus on her career right now while you want something more out of your friendship with her." Syrus smiled.

"Even if that were true, you won't be the one to tell her that." Zane said darkly. "Do you understand?"

Syrus fixed his posture, as if someone replaced his spine with a metal pole, and said, "Yes sir!"

"Well, I'm gonna go fresh up on my makeup real quick." Jasmine announced quickly before turning and dashing to the restrooms at the back of the bar.

"Oh, I'll come with you." Mindy called after Jasmine before rushing afterwards.

"Hey, wait up." Blair chimed in, also rushing towards the restrooms.

I looked over to Alexis. "Are you joining them?"

She shook her head. "Nah, I'll be fine. I don't need to freshen up or anything."

"Alright, but I need to go to the bathroom so I'll be right back." I told her.

"Sure, go make sure your makeup and hair look fabulous." Alexis teased which made me laugh. I turned and headed towards the men's room. Before I entered, I turned to get a glimpse at Alexis. Zane was handing her the Coke she ordered. A part of me wishes I would've stayed standing there a few seconds longer, so I would've seen what happened next. Instead, I just turned and walked into the restroom and didn't look back from that point on.

Looking back on that moment that was pretty dumb of me, wasn't it?

**_Jasmine's POV_**

"Whoa, that was a bit rude." Mindy said once we entered the woman's restroom. "I mean, you just rushed out of there for some silly reason and…oh hey. Why are you crying? Are you okay?"

"I rushed out of there because I didn't want them to see my pain." I sobbed. I started rubbing my face, trying to wipe away the wet, mascara-stained, tears.

"Hey guys I just…" Blair stopped when she saw me crying. "What happened?"

"Please leave me alone." I demanded harshly.

"O-Okay, I just came in here to…" Blair scanned the area for an excuse. "Oh! I had to pee so…I'm just going to…well yeah." She rushed into the nearest stall and closed the door behind her.

Mindy gave me a look. "If you think you can just go ahead and get rid of me so easily, think again. I'm not leaving this bathroom until you either tell me what's going on or you find a way to get yourself under control."

"I can't get rid of you, can I?" I let out a shaky sigh. "It's just that Zane and Ramona sound so perfect, it's like they're married already. Alexis and Jaden sound perfect together too, and everyone else is pretty much married and…"

"Is that what this is about?" Mindy asked. "You feel sad because you aren't married yet? For God's sake Jas-"

"Oh don't you start there missy." I said angrily.

"It's Mindy."

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I WANT TO BE CHEERED UP RIGHT NOW!?" I shouted. "Look at you. You and Syrus are already married, so don't even try to understand what I'm going through."

"You don't have to compare yourself to Zane and Ramona." Mindy suggested. "You deserve Bastion, and you guys are such a cute couple. Being married isn't everything."

"I agree." There was the sound of the toilet flushing before Blair walked out of the stall and went to the sink to wash her hands. "Besides, Ramona and Zane aren't that perfect of a couple…"

"Oh, I see. So you think that anyone besides you and Chazz are an imperfect couple." I started.

"I don't think…"

"Well, guess what? I've got some news for you." I took a step closer to Blair. "I don't want _your_ advice about who's a great couple or not. I don't understand what Chazz even sees in you. Maybe he's with you just to get laid or something, that's just my opinion. But my point right now is that you should leave me alone."

Blair looked like she was going to cry. "That really hurts Jasmine."

"Yeah well, I'm hurting too so go be hurt somewhere else." I demanded.

"Hey, what's going on here?" The three of us turned our heads to see Jaden walk in. Yes, Jaden walked in to the restroom. The WOMAN'S restroom!

"What the hell, Jaden?" Mindy screeched. "You can't be here!"

"I heard you shouting and arguing and I wanted to make it stop. You're my friends after all." Jaden explained. "However, we've also got some bigger issues going on outside so let's settle this later and I'll need you guys to follow me."

Worried, we all followed Jaden outside to see Bastion, Syrus, Alexis, and Chazz all passed out. Blair gasped, "What happened?"

"Simple, people got spiked…" Jaden said, "again."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Mindy's POV** _

"How on Earth did this happen?" I asked Jaden. "Weren't you watching them?"

"I went to the bathroom." Jaden explained. "The next thing I know, they are all passed out. I knew I shouldn't have left them but…"

"It's alright, Jaden." Blair reassured him. "At least they're not dead."

"How can you say that so calmly?" Jasmine asked hysterically. "They can't be dead! If they are I swear I'm going to…"

"Take a chill pill, Jasmine." I grabbed hold of her shoulders and forced her to look at me. "Just try to relax. As far as Jaden knows, they still have a pulse and are still alive."

"Actually, they don't have a pulse." Jaden added.

Now it was my turn to go into hysterics. I released hold of Jasmine and stared at Jaden, my jaw hanging open, "WHAT?"

"They didn't have a pulse when I checked them." Jaden replied calmly. He then gave me a questioning look. "What? Doesn't that mean they were spiked?"

"No! If they are passed out and they don't have a heartbeat it means they're dead!" Blair dashed over to Chazz and put her fingertips to the side of his neck. She sighed in relief. "He's still breathing."

"Don't scare us like that!" Jasmine and I said in unison, throwing our fists at Jaden while he tried his best to block our attacks.

"AH! Leave me alone." Jaden pleaded. "I thought I was helping. Blair, check all of their pulses."

"Already did that."

"And?"

"They're all still alive. Their hearts are still beating. I don't think its alcohol poisoning since we haven't been here long and because Alexis ordered a non-alcoholic beverage. I think it's safe to say that someone spiked their drinks," Blair confirmed, "but that doesn't explain why you didn't feel their pulse earlier, Jaden."

"I just checked…ow….I….argh…okay guys stop…ow." Jaden said in between punches. "Let me…ow…let me talk!"

Jasmine and I reluctantly stopped punching him and took a few steps back. Once Jaden recovered, he began to explain. "I came out of the bathroom and saw them passed out so I checked their pulses. That's all I did."

"How did you check their pulses?" Jasmine asked, her anger now starting to subside.

"You know, the usual way." Jaden said.

"You're not answering our question." I stated impatiently. "How. Did. You. Check. Their. Pulses?"

Jaden stared at me dumbly. I sighed, "Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"Hey, I understand the question; I'm not stupid." Jaden defended himself. "I just don't know how to answer it!"

"Well, what did you do to check their pulses?" Jasmine asked.

"Oh, I just rested my fingertips over the side of their jaw."

"Over their jaw?" Realization dawned on Blair as she realized what Jaden did. "No silly. That's not how you check a pulse. It has to be either the side of their neck or on their wrist!"

"I didn't know that. I'm sorry I…ow!" Jaden didn't get to finish that sentence because Blair, Jasmine, and I continued beating Jaden up for scaring us. If Syrus died, I don't know what I would do. I'm certain the others all felt the same way about their friends. We fought for about a few seconds longer before someone came up behind us and broke up the fight.

_**Blair's POV** _

"What do you think you're doing?" Zane's voice boomed. "There is absolutely no fighting in the bar. Either break it up or take it outside."

At those words, everyone started to calm down. It's not like we intended to kill Jaden or anything. All we were doing was just letting go of some steam and anger. Jaden dusted himself off and coughed. "Geez, for a bunch of girls, you sure don't punch like them."

"Why were you three beating up Jaden?" Zane asked Mindy, Jasmine and I.

"He scared us half to death!" I explained. I told Zane about everything between Jaden barging into the bathroom to tell us what happened all the way to the present situation. Mindy and Jasmine also gave some helpful feedback on the subject while Jaden tried his best to defend himself. As I finished, Zane looked back at our friends before returning his attention to us.

"It looks like you have quite the predicament on your hands." Zane said simply.

"No duh." Jasmine muttered.

"Wait a minute!" Mindy started. "Where were you when all of this happened?"

"I was in the back room at the time." Zane replied. "All I did was hand them the drinks then go into the back room."

"Why were you in the back room?" Jasmine inquired suspiciously.

"I was using the phone in the back room to try and get a hold of Ramona," Zane answered, "unfortunately; I couldn't contact her at the moment and I had to leave a message. That's when I realized that you guys were fighting and Jaden was just about to lose to three girls."

"Hey, they know how to punch!" Jaden said. "I'd like to see _you_ say that after they get done with you."

Jasmine immediately switched into a fighting stance at those words. "Someone say the word and I'll mop the floor with him."

"Why?" I asked. Jasmine was sure getting fired up tonight. "Why would you want to punch Zane? He hasn't done anything wrong?"

"Really, hasn't done anything wrong now has he?" Jasmine sauntered right up to me with her hands on her hips. "Isn't it even the slightest bit odd that he gave them their drinks and just so happened to be in the back room as they passed out? You seriously don't find that suspicious of him?"

"I'm right here, you know." Zane muttered, but I ignored his comment.

"Jaden happened to leave to go to the bathroom while they passed out and I don't see you bitchin about him being the culprit." I countered.

"Oh Blair, so naïve," Jasmine sighed. "Jaden is also a suspect but he's not the prime suspect here."

"Hang on! Me? A suspect? Why am I a suspect?" Jaden asked. "You know I wouldn't do this to them. I would never do this to any of my friends or my wife."

"Okay, you may be right about that." Jasmine admitted. She swiftly turned her attention to Zane. "Back to you though. What if I said that this was another scheme made by Atticus and he blackmailed you for another silly reason? Would you say I'm right? Am I right?"

"Honestly," Zane began, "You couldn't be more wrong."

"More wrong?" Jasmine asked, "How the hell is that more wrong? It makes perfect logical sense!"

"I think you've been hanging out with Bastion for too long." I teased. Although, I kind of had to agree with her on that last statement. That was exactly what happened last time we got spiked. For all we know, history could be repeating itself. However, Zane had the perfect argument prepared.

"Atticus is definitely not blackmailing me. Do you see him anywhere in this bar? And yes, I understand that he could've called me on the phone in the back room but I can guarantee that he has never called at this bar before. And even if he had called the bar, do you really think he would've known when I was working my shift or when your little group was going to strut in here? The odds of that happening are highly unlikely and even you have to admit that."

Jasmine bowed her head in defeat. Mindy rushed over to Jasmine and wrapped her arms around her like a mother comforting her child. Zane didn't say anything and he started to walk back to his position behind the counter.

"You know," Jaden started, "Atticus was probably not the guy behind this but maybe he was the guy who actually spiked the drinks. Maybe he swept in once Zane left, diverted their attention away from their drinks, and then took off running in the streets."

"I don't know if…." I began.

"I'll go search the streets for Atticus." Jaden announced, heading out. "He's probably running away from here as we speak."

And just like that, he was gone. He didn't even hear Jasmine utter the words, "be careful."

_**Jaden's POV**_

It was nice outside; the cool air sweeping through the dark streets, only slightly illuminated by street lights and cars passing by. The sidewalks were more crowded than what I expected. Although, it was a Saturday night so it kind of made sense that more people were out and about. Some people were heading into bars, clubs, or just hanging around outside. If Atticus was out here, he could be anywhere.

I started running around the town, searching for any sign of someone running away. I can't believe Atticus would do this. Okay, that's a lie. I just can't believe he would do this again six years after the first incident. His purpose last time was to help Chazz win over Alexis while I was passed out. But, now that Alexis is passed out, what would be his purpose this time? Was he doing this just for fun? Was it for a dare? Are there any other people involved?

I stopped on the corner of the street and scanned my surroundings. It didn't seem like anything was out of place. Either Atticus didn't come this way or he is already long gone. What if he left here by taking a cab or another type of transportation involving a motorized vehicle? Maybe this idea of mine wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I was about to leave when someone came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder.

I whirled around to find myself standing before a girl who looked to be about my age. She had short brown hair that was curled towards the end. She had matching brown eyes and a small barrette in her hair. The girl had on a white blouse and a dark skirt. She was standing on one leg with her other leg slightly raised and one hand pressed against the building wall nearby. I blinked a few times before responding, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, uh, I'm trying to get to my friend's bar." She began. "Well, actually he doesn't own the bar but he is the bartender and he's on his shift right now and-"

"Hold on! Does he have blue hair?" I asked. "Was he formally a duelist before he started working at the bar?"

"…Yeah."

"You must be Ramona." I replied, smiling.

"Yes I am. It looks like Zane has been talking about me." Ramona returned the smile. "This may seem kind of silly but, uh, could you take me to the bar? I sprained my ankle."

"That doesn't seem silly at all. Here," I put her arm around my head so she could lean on me for support. We started to slowly walk back to the bar. I guess I'll have to look for Atticus later.

"So…do you know Zane pretty well?" She asked, looking up at me to meet my face.

"Yeah, I guess." I said lazily. "I mean we've gone to the same school, and we've dueled before, and I'm friends with his brother. No big whoop."

She squinted at me. "Wait a minute! I know who you are! You're Jaden Yuki!"

"Yep, that's me." I grinned. "Did Zane tell you how much of a great guy I was?"

"No." She must have saw disappointment on my face because she quickly added. "But I know who you are! Zane has mentioned you once or twice and I remember seeing you at Duel Academy. I feel bad for not immediately recognizing you when I ran into you today."

"There's no reason for you to feel bad." I told her. "I'm not mad."

"So what are you doing out here?" She asked me. "Are you taking a midnight stroll? Looking for something interesting to do? Trying to find some futuristic androids who want to take over the world?"

"Nah, I'm looking for someone." I explained. I began to tell her about what happened at the bar and how Atticus Rhodes might be connected to the situation before she interrupted.

"Atticus? I think I saw him walk into this club down at some street not too long ago." Ramona replied. "I can probably help you find him."

"I'm not gonna let you walk around with that sprained ankle." I said, pointing to her foot. "You need to rest."

"I know that, I mean, I am going to medical school after all." She reminded me. "However, I want to help you find Atticus so don't worry about the ankle. This is my decision and it looks like you could use my help. We can go back to the bar to see Zane later."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Ramona replied.

"Alright then," I replied vigilantly. "Lead the way."

**_Jasmine's POV_**

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mindy asked me.

Blair, Mindy and I were sitting at the counter by our unconscious companions as we waited on Jaden to come back. Zane was working behind the counter again and it seemed as though everything around us was back to normal. There weren't that many people left in the bar. It was just us and an obnoxious table in the back, all of them drunk. Drunk…but not unconscious.

"I'm fine." I told Mindy. "Don't worry about me."

"You just seem a bit… I don't know…" Blair began. "You seem upset."

"Of course, I'm upset. My boyfriend is unconscious!" I snapped at her. I then sighed and lowered my voice. "I'm sorry. It's just that a lot of things are happening tonight and I guess it's just getting to me, you know?"

"Don't worry," Blair assured me, "and I'm sorry for what I've done too."

"You haven't done anything." I replied, gazing at Bastion for the tenth time. "I just wish we could find the person who did this."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Mindy picked up a glass that contained alcohol. "I ordered this, didn't I?"

"I think so," Blair agreed. She pointed at a different glass on the table, "Because that one belongs to Syrus…and the one over there belongs to Chazz…and then there's the one that I ordered…"

"Zane!" I called out. "Did you bring over everyone's drinks?"

"Yeah," he replied, "though I doubt you'd want to drink them now. I can take them out of your way if you want…"

Mindy turned to look at Blair and me. "What if the person who spiked the drinks only targeted Syrus, Alexis, Chazz, and Bastion? What if the rest of us weren't spiked?"

"I don't know. That has to mean something, at least." Blair pondered aloud. "However, we don't know that for a fact. What if the person did spike us all?"

"If they didn't spike us all, they wanted something to do with us three and Jaden. If they did spike us all, then they could possibly have a grudge against all of us and just wanted us to pass out. Actually, it could be almost anything but we still have no way of knowing for sure." I started to raise my glass to my lips. "There's only one way to find out."

"Wait!" Mindy cried out, causing me to stop what I was about to do. "I'll be the one to do this."

"Why?"

"I want to help any way I can; this seems easy enough, right?" Mindy explained. "Besides, it won't really matter if I'm unconscious or not."

"Yes it will!" Unfortunately, I was too late.

Mindy took a sip from her glass.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Mindy's POV_**

"Why Mindy!" Jasmine demanded. "Why did you have to do this?"

I set down my glass on the counter and swallowed, refusing to answer them. It was nice to have something to drink. Apparently, Blair and Jasmine didn't think so because they gasped. They were freaking out. I mean…sure they're scared, we all are, but if we don't take a few risks here and there we may never find out how the others were spiked.

"Oh god, she swallowed it!" Blair screeched. "She's going to pass out in a matter of minutes."

"What do we do? Should we lay her down or something?" Jasmine asked. She whipped her head over to Zane. "Seriously, what do we do Zane?"

"There's not really much we can do." Zane replied coolly, gazing directly at me. "If she passes out then she passes out. If she doesn't then she doesn't. Just give it a few minutes and see what happens."

"Mindy, look at me!" Jasmine ordered. I slowly turned my head to stare at her. "Mindy, why did you have to do this? We still need you here to help us!"

"I did it for Syrus." I told her. "Nothing is going to be figured out if we don't do something. Besides, I feel fine. I don't think this drink was spiked."

"Are you sure?" Jasmine asked. "You don't feel any bit tired or…or…I don't know. You sure you're not spiked?"

"She looks fine for now…" Blair admitted. "I think Zane is right. We just need to give it a few minutes. By then, we'll know for sure whether the targets were just Chazz, Syrus, Alexis and Bastion or if it was all of us."

"I agree." I said. Turning to Jasmine, I added, "just a few more minutes. That's all we need, Jasmine. Are you with us?"

Jasmine sighed. "Fine, we'll give it a few more minutes. But I really wish you wouldn't have done that. We already have four people who are passed out and we don't need a fifth."

So we started to wait a few minutes in silence, as if we had nothing to talk about. So when Blair's phone started ringing, we jumped. Blair reached into her pocket and pulled it out, unlocking the screen. "It's Jaden!"

**_Blair's POV_**

"What are you waiting for? Answer it!" Jasmine commanded. "What if something bad happened to him?"

I accepted the call and held it up to my ear. "Jaden?"

"Whew, am I glad to hear your voice." Jaden said, relieved. "I thought something bad happened so I called you and…"

"Everything is fine Jaden." I reassured him. "Well, except for the part where Mindy took a drink from one of the glasses."

"What?"

"Our drinks were still there along with the spiked drinks the others had." I explained, "Mindy had a hunch that we weren't the targets but Chazz, Alexis and all of them were. Long story short, she ended up as the lab rat for her theory."

"Don't compare me to a lab rat!" Mindy said quickly as I tried to shush her.

"Is she passed out?" Jaden questioned.

"Not yet," I replied, "I'm starting to get the feeling that her hunch was right, though. She seems fine but we can't be sure."

"Is Jaden in trouble?" Jasmine asked.

"Hey, do you mind putting it on speaker phone so I can talk to everybody?" Jaden requested. "I have some good news."

"Good news, huh? That's exactly what we need right now." I changed it to speaker phone and held the phone out by Jasmine and Mindy. "Okay, it's on speaker phone now."

"I have a lead on Atticus." Jaden announced. "Ramona said that she saw him walk into a club and that's where we're going now."

"You're with Ramona?" I completely forgot that Zane was still behind the counter. He leaned towards my phone and asked, "Is she alright?"

"She has a sprained ankle but she says she's fine." Jaden replied. "Don't worry; I'll take care of her."

"I hope you can, because if you don't you'll be sorry." Zane whispered icily. His tone then changed into a more concerned tone as he added, "Can I speak to her?"

"Uh, sure no problem," The four of us waited until Jaden switched his phone to speaker phone. "Ah there we go."

"Zane?" A soft female voice, most likely Ramona's, asked. "You okay?"

"I'm fine Ramona." Zane replied. "What happened to you? Why do you have a sprained ankle?"

There was a pause before she answered. "I experienced a life lesson earlier today. Never run in high heels."

"True." Jasmine muttered.

"Who's that?" Ramona asked. "Is that one of Jaden's friends?"

"That was Jasmine." Jaden explained. "The one I called was Blair, and Mindy is there as well."

"Hi, uh, Blair speaking," I announced, "so you think you know where Atticus is?"

"Yeah," Ramona replied, "I saw him before I ran into Jaden. We're on our way there as we speak. Don't worry about a thing over there. Jaden and I will find him and deliver justice!" She paused. "What about your other friends, the ones that are passed out, what have you done with their bodies?"

"They're kind of just sitting here beside us…" I told her.

"You should take them to a place where they can lie down, like a hotel." She suggested. "That way, no one in the bar will try to approach them and take them away. Also, make sure that they lie on their side and that they have a bucket or trash can near them."

"Got it, thanks Dr. Ramona," I smiled.

"Well, I haven't gotten my PH.D yet and that's something they don't teach you in medical school so it's actually no biggie though anyone who had a drunken friend would know…"

"Remember Ramona, learn to take a compliment." Zane said softly.

"Uh, right," She said embarrassingly, "I, uh, I'm working on that. Thanks!"

"We're gonna keep searching out here." Jaden announced. "You take care of the bodies and we'll take care of Atticus."

"Aw, I wish I could help take care of Atticus." Jasmine complained. She shrugged, "Oh well, at least we can still help this way. One last question, when they wake up what should we say to them?"

"I think it would be best if we don't tell them anything about what happened tonight." Jaden replied. "Just make it seem like tonight was an ordinary night and they got extremely drunk."

"Why?" Mindy asked.

"I don't know, it's just…" Jaden started, "something in my gut tells me that they shouldn't know about this."

"You don't want them to worry do you?" Ramona asked.

"Don't want who to worry?" I asked.

"Jaden, it's perfectly understandable that you don't want Alexis, Chazz, Bastion, and Syrus to worry about what happened tonight but they deserve the right to know." Ramona continued. "Let's face it; they're probably going to find out anyways so we might as well tell them when they wake up. Why don't you want to tell them?"

"Blair, promise me that you, Jasmine and Mindy won't tell the others the truth about what happened. Promise me this, please?" Jaden pleaded.

"I…"

"We promise Jaden." Jasmine answered for me. "You go after Atticus and we'll find a hotel to take them to."

"Be sure to check in whenever you can." Zane added.

"Got it," Ramona replied.

"We'll call back later." Jaden chimed in. And with that final statement a click was heard…followed by dial tone.

**_Jaden's POV_**

"Alright, let's keep moving." I told Ramona. I put her arm around my head again and she leaned on me for support.

We were about a block away from where Ramona said she saw Atticus. We had to make a few stops here and there because Ramona's ankle was starting to throb. I told her that it would probably be best if she gave it a rest and go back to the bar but she declined. She insisted she was fine and that capturing Atticus was more important at the moment.

"Trust me, I'm almost a doctor." She said during one of our stops on a bench. "We're almost there. If we don't get to that club soon then the trail will end up cold and we may never find Atticus."

So we kept on walking. There was no doubt in my mind that Zane would give me many consequences after this but I wasn't afraid. It seemed that nothing was going to stop Ramona from finding Atticus, not even her own arduous ankle. However, the moment we find him, I'll take her back to Zane and make sure she gets the rest she needs.

"There it is!" Ramona announced. She pointed to a club across the street with a long line in front of it. There were many women standing outside the club but there was no sign of Atticus. Ramona narrowed her eyes. "He must already be inside."

"How are we going to get in?" I asked, gazing at the entrance. "There's no way we're gonna stand in that line the whole time right?"

"I've got a plan." Ramona admitted quietly. "It's a little risky but I think I can get us in. Do you see any air vents on the side of the building?"

I whipped my head around to look back at Ramona. "I'm not letting you climb through an air vent with a sprained ankle."

"Damn." She sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say that. Fine, if you won't let me follow through with Plan A, I'll just have to use Plan B."

"What's Plan B?" I asked. Ramona unbuttoned the top two buttons on her blouse and undid the barrette in her hair. I groaned. "What are you doing?"

"Using some assets that God gave me." Ramona adjusted her bangs that her barrette previously held back. She tried to walk on both feet but her ankle acted up again. I was immediately by her side and supported her. Ramona simply said, "Get me to the front of the line; I need to talk to the bouncer."

We made our way to the front of the line. The citizens who were waiting in line gave us disgusted looks but we didn't stop walking until the bouncer stopped us. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Where do you think we're going?" Ramona challenged, "We're getting inside of this club."

"No you're not." The bouncer replied. The man had on a tight black t shirt and dark jeans. He was also very tall and muscular. I hope he knows better than to hurt us.

"Yes, we are getting in," Ramona pulled out some money from her breast pocket and handed it to the man. "Are we good?"

The man took the money from Ramona and stuffed it into his jeans. "You're going to need more than that to get through."

"Fine," Ramona took a step closer to the bouncer. "Jaden cover your eyes and look away."

I complied. I heard shifting and gasps before the bouncer said, "okay you can get through."

"Jaden you can look now." Ramona told me. I opened my eyes to see her limping towards the entrance. I rushed to her side and we started to walk in.

"Wait a minute! I said nothing about your friend getting in." The bouncer called out.

We stopped and Ramona looked over her shoulder. "Too bad, he's getting in whether you like it or not. His name is Jaden Yuki and he is the second best duelist I know and he has gone to school with the best duelist I know, Zane Trusdale. If you don't let him in to help me walk then you will lose in a duel to him and suffer unutterable humiliation. Do I make myself clear?"

The bouncer didn't say anything. He just nodded and turned so that his back was to us. We proceeded into the club.

"Yes, we're in! Plan C worked!" Ramona cheered.

"Plan C? I thought that was Plan B." I said.

"Plan A: air vents. Plan B: use money. Plan C: use assets. I was preparing for Plan C when I decided to use Plan B." I gave her a confused look. Ramona sighed. "Whatever, it worked. Hey, don't tell Zane about any of this okay? He doesn't need to freak out or anything."

"Let's find Atticus and get out of here." I told her. We took a few more steps before I asked. "Are you sure he went through here?"

"I'm almost positive he arrived here, why?"

I didn't have to answer. We both scanned the room. We saw people everywhere, mostly girls. Though there were a few guys here but they were…well…on the job. Ramona gasped. "Oh no! No no no no no! This has to be a mistake! Unless Atticus actually…"

"Works in a strip club," I finished.

**_Jasmine's POV_**

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked Mindy. "Do you think you're spiked?"

"I'm fine!" Mindy assured me. "I think it's safe to say that there were specific targets in this little incident with the spiked drinks."

"Okay then." Blair said. "Too bad that doesn't change much. It could still be anyone who did this."

"I think we should do what Ramona said and start taking our friends to a hotel." I suggested. "There's not much more we can do here."

"You can take Bastion there first." Blair ordered me. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on Mindy and everyone else."

"I told you I feel fine." Mindy persisted. "You don't have to look out for me."

"I will just in case. Besides, Jaden might call back soon." Blair explained. "You'll want to know about Ramona won't you Zane?"

Zane nodded. "I can't take too many personal calls while I'm on the job so I'm afraid you'll be our connection to Ramona and Jaden for now."

"Fine, I'll take him to the motel down the street and I'll call you when I get there." I tried to scoop Bastion into my arms but he was too heavy. Either that or I wasn't strong enough. After a few more attempts, Bastion's head was on my shoulder and my hand was over his chest. His legs dragged along the floor but there wasn't much I could do.

"Do you need help?" Mindy asked.

"I got it." I told her. "You stay here." I pushed on the door and a breeze swept across my face. It was colder than what it was before. A clock tower in the distance told me it was about 2:30 in the morning. It was too late out to be carrying an unconscious body but it had to be done. I took a deep breath and started walking.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Mindy's POV_**

"Great, Jaden is gone and Jasmine left with Bastion. It's only a matter of time before one of us leaves next." I told Blair. "Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing?"

The bar was nearly empty. There was a group sitting in the back corner of the bar and then there was us. The group in the back has been here the whole time, getting louder and more pretentious by the second. According to Zane, they pay well so he wasn't going to kick them out just yet. All the other chairs in the bar were stacked up on the tables and the counter, except the chairs Syrus, Chazz, Alexis, Blair and I were sitting in. Blair had her elbows propped on the counter as she thought about my question.

"As long as nothing else happens, yeah it's a good thing." Blair nodded. She's been peering at Chazz all night long as if she thought he would wake up soon. Though, I have to admit, I've been doing the same thing with Syrus. However, Blair seems miserable without Chazz by her side. She took another deep breath, "I still can't believe our group got spiked again."

"You mean _some people in our group_ got spiked again." Zane corrected. "You have to keep in mind that not everyone in your little entourage is out cold."

"You say that as if you don't feel like part of the group." I told him. His expression softened and I gasped. "No, you don't really mean…of course you're part of the group, Zane. What would-"

"No offense, but you suck at reading expressions." Zane replied. "True, I don't feel like part of your little group but I'm fine with that. That's Syrus's other home. It's a place where he doesn't have to ever be afraid and it's filled with non-judging, unique, fun people that he gets along with. It's a place where he doesn't have to worry about being himself. You wouldn't believe how much he talks about you guys and all the amazing adventures and moments you have. It's like it's his whole life."

"Aw! That's so sweet!" Blair cried.

"It really is." I smiled. "But there's so much about Syrus that I still don't know, probably belonging to his 'real home.' I want to know about the man I've fallen for…everything…good or bad."

"If you're talking about a man then you must have Syrus confused with someone else." Zane said coolly, making me want to slap him. "But, if you really want to know more about Syrus than what you already know, I guess I could be of assistance."

"You'd want to help me?" I grasped his hand and shook it with both of mine. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem. Just remember, if you go down this road you might not like what you find." He peeled off my hands and met my eyes. "You sure you're ready for this?"

I nodded. "Bring it."

"So, what do you want to know about Syrus first?" Zane began casually.

"Well, when we were looking for a place to hang out tonight, Syrus refused to go to any clubs. Do you know why that is?" I asked. "I've been trying to figure it out all night but I can't ask Syrus about it because he's passed out."

"There are many answers to that question." Zane started.

"Yeah, he gave that many reasons to not go in there." I mumbled.

"But," Zane continued, "The main reason he doesn't go to clubs is because he can't dance."

I nearly fell off my bar stool. "What do you mean he can't dance? On our first date we danced together! Okay, well, second date since on our first date I got spiked. But still, he danced with me and it wasn't a complete disaster and-"

"That's because that was a ballroom style of dance." Zane interrupted. "It has choreography in most of its steps, so pretty much if you know those steps you can easily dance to the basics. But that's not how it works at clubs. In clubs it's just a bunch of randomized dancing. Syrus likes following rules, which is why he prefers anything over club dancing. The last time he went to a club, I think he ended up somewhere on the internet…and not in a good way."

"He's that bad at club dancing isn't he? Now everything makes so much sense." I pondered allowed. "Hey wait a minute! How do you and Syrus know so much about ballroom in the first place?"

Zane thought about this. "Hmm, I'm not sure if whether it came from Mom or not but I remember when Syrus was younger, every so often he used to pretend to be dancing with the Dark Magician Girl in his room. Mom tried to get him into dancing once, but he wanted to become a duelist like me."

"And yet, right now, you're a bartender." Blair said.

"I'll get back to my dueling career once Ramona gets her medical bills paid." Zane announced. "Until then, I'll be here serving drinks."

"So Syrus didn't want to go to that club because he was afraid of embarrassing everybody," I leaned over to Syrus's passed out body and gave him a hug. "You poor thing. I'm sorry I tried to push it out of you."

"Is that all you wanted to know?" Zane posed.

I considered the option Zane offered and said, "What else can you tell me?"

**_Blair's POV_**

If I wasn't on phone duty, I would've gone to the hotel with Chazz right now. But I am on phone duty and it's my responsibility to update everyone on what Jaden and Ramona are finding. But they never said anything about when Jasmine texts me about her hotel location. Zane and Mindy were too engrossed in their own conversation that they didn't seem to notice I had even received the text. The text said: _3__rd__ floor 217_ and then there was an address with it. I was tempted to just get up and leave, but I'm forced to stay here like a tether-ball.

Chazz probably would've left by now if it were him. Isn't that what he did six years ago when I was spiked? Some of the Duel Academy students told me he was the first person to leave. I smiled. He can be so big-headed at times but he can also be so sweet. Perhaps maybe I should just leave phone duty to Zane or Mindy. Probably Zane; Mindy looks like she might want to leave and go to the hotel while Zane is the one who wants to know about Jaden and Ramona the most.

But they seem too absorbed in their conversation; I don't want to be a bother. Maybe I can try to sneak out of here through a window or air vent. I thought I saw a window in the restroom while Jasmine was yelling at me earlier…

I quickly excused myself and rushed over there without a second to waste. As I entered the restroom, only one stall was occupied. The window was right by that stall. It was a small window but I was pretty sure that I was small enough to fit through it. But if I were to drag Chazz over here and push him through the window, would he make it? If so, how long would that take before I would most likely get caught?

The occupied stall opened and a woman with chin length jet-black hair and light brown eyes stepped out. She pointed to me and slurred. "H-Hey d-d-dudette, how ...like… how w-wasted am I?"

"Uh," I said initially, "I don't know."

The woman laughed. "N-Neither do I, I don't even…I don't even…know…like…where my table is…yeah? M-Maybe I don't wanna know…you know…and just be like…unknowingly knowing of knowthing."

"Knowthing?" I asked.

"It's a word…like…that I made up just now. I know nothing!" The woman laughed again. "I knowthing when m-my b-b-b-boyfriend is a complete…a complete ass. T-T-That dick slept with my…my roommate while I was…I was…I was like gone. He…he said it was a…an accident and I was like…oh…'oh really? It was an accident? What did you trip and land on her…'?"

"Why are you telling me this?" I interrupted.

"M-My friends at….at the big table thingy is not… my friends…but his. T-They always…t-they always take his side." She scoffed. "Arrogant jackasses, why…like…why do I even…like…put up with them?"

"Well I guess arrogant is the new sexy." I said, "My husband is a little arrogant."

This made her roar with laughter. "Y-Your husband? You…like…you have a husband? But you're so…so short and young and short and young. And I'm just so…so old…old like I'm a cougar."

She didn't look that old to me. "How old are you?"

"23."

"Eliza! There you are!" A man with jet-black hair, not as long as the woman's, walked in to the woman's restroom. "Eliza, we need to get going. The bartender just announced last call and we've got somewhere to be."

"Yeah, yeah… we gotta go…go to the future!" The woman now revealed as Eliza said. "So we can…like…save your dad…from fan-girls and…roses…right?"

The man looked to me with his blue eyes and said, "I apologize if she harmed you in any way. She's a little drunk right now…"

"She's _a little_ drunk right now?" I asked dubiously.

The man gave a soft chuckle. "Okay, maybe more than a little. Anyways, I'm sorry if she hurt you or anything."

"No, she's fine. She didn't hurt me." I insisted. "Uh, have a pleasant evening."

The man nodded and lifted Eliza into his arms before carrying her out of the restroom. As drunk as that woman may be, she had a point. It's not always good to hang out with arrogant jackasses. They can be stubborn and self-centered and only care about themselves. So, why does Chazz even care about me?

**_Jaden's POV_**

"Great! Just great! We have to find Atticus in a strip club." I groaned. "But this place is filled with women; I don't see any men except for the strippers. Why would Atticus be here?"

"I don't know, maybe he's a stripper?" Ramona suggested. She grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room. "Come on, the sooner we find Atticus, the sooner we can get out of here."

"Alright, let's go." We made our way towards the middle of the room and asked many customers and strippers. We had to shout a lot because the music was loud. Neither Ramona nor I really cared for the music all that much. Some of the music they played was by Simon Curtis, Jessie J, Lady Gaga, and the rest were just remixes. Ramona got annoyed when they played "Right Round" by Flo Rida and Kesha because it ruined a good song from the 80s or 90s. Nonetheless, we asked around about Atticus for about a half hour. Unfortunately, nobody could remember seeing Atticus here.

"That was a complete disaster!" Ramona groaned as we stepped out of the bar. "I could've sworn I saw Atticus outside and nobody even remembers seeing him there! This is my entire fault!"

"Don't be too hard on yourself, it's okay." I said comfortingly.

"Easy for you to say; you're always so perfect, Zane."

"When did I change my name to Zane?" I asked.

"Oh, sorry Jaden," Ramona sat down on the curb of the street, "You just…reminded me of Zane for a second."

"How did I remind you of him?" I asked her, sitting down on the curb beside her. "Is everything alright between you two?"

"Yeah, it's just that…" Ramona took a deep breath, "I hate keeping Zane around here. I know he wants to help and everything but I can't let him do that for me all the time. He should be out there, you know. He should be the number one duelist in the world and be on tour or something. He deserves more than what he has now…he doesn't…I don't deserve to have him looking after me all the time."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Come on, look at me!" She continued. "I can't even find one damned little troublemaker! If Zane were out here, he would find Atticus with ease and probably tackle him. Zane can do anything…god…why does he even help me."

"He helps you because he likes you a lot." I replied.

"I know he's in love with me but I don't understand it." Ramona told me. "Why does he love me? I'm just a little girl with hopes of becoming a doctor. That's it. I mean, how could he even love someone who was a Slifer Slacker for most of her time."

"You do realize you're talking to a Slifer Red student here, right?" I reminded her. "And, sure, Zane doesn't love me like how he loves you; for the record, I'm glad for that. But he does give me respect because of my dueling skills. And I've seen you duel once or twice at the Academy. You have amazing tactics and cool monsters. And after searching for Atticus with you I can see why he loves you. You're brave, determined, and caring. You wouldn't even rest your sprained ankle until we find Atticus."

Ramona gave a sheepish smile. "Actually, I don't think that was bravery. I think that was just my stupidity. My ankle hurts like hell. I don't think I'll be able to walk all the way back to the bar."

"Yep, Zane is definitely going to kill me." I said sarcastically. "Oh well. Here, I'll carry you back to the bar."

"Maybe I can walk a little bit longer." Ramona protested weakly.

"I'm not letting you do that." I scooped Ramona in my arms and stood up. "It's really no trouble. You're not too heavy and I don't want anything bad happening to your ankle."

"Thanks." She whispered so quietly I could barely hear here. She put her arms around my neck and we started to head back to the bar.

**_Jasmine's POV_**

Bastion was still knocked out. I kept hoping that sooner or later he would wake up and wonder why I was dragging him but that never happened. My arms were burning once I got him to the hotel room but I didn't care anymore. I texted Blair the location of our hotel room before setting my phone on a nearby desk. Then I tried to lift Bastion off the floor and onto one of the two beds.

"Come on, almost there." I said. My arms were burning way too much. I threw Bastion onto the bed with success. Unfortunately, everything in his pocket came flying out and landed on the floor.

"Oh, dammit," I leaned down and started picking up the items on the floor. I picked up his wallet, his phone, his house key, a little black box…

_…A little black box?_

I set his other stuff on the desk by my phone and held the box in my hand. Wait, this couldn't really be… he just means… I looked over at Bastion, then back at the box, and then I looked at Bastion again. Was he really…? I slowly opened the box and gasped. There was a diamond ring in the box as I suspected. It was so beautiful, how could Bastion even afford this? Was he planning on proposing tonight? Am I supposed to forget I saw this? I blinked slowly.

Then I blink again.

And then a third time.

"Bastion?"


	6. Chapter 6

**_Mindy's POV_**

Zane and I had finished talking about Syrus. I guess Syrus is kind of an open book. Most of the stuff Zane said about Syrus I already knew, while other things came out as a surprise. Nevertheless, I feel more comfortable about Syrus and I know that we can overcome anything together. If only Syrus were awake now. It's about 3:00 in the morning and Zane was cleaning up for tonight before he closed up the bar. Blair came back from the bathroom with this gloomy expression on her face.

"Blair, what's wrong? You look exhausted." I asked as she sat down beside me.

"It's nothing." Although her expression didn't change, her tone of voice turned more cheerful as she changed the subject. "Jasmine sent me a text saying where her hotel room was located. We can head over there when Jaden and Ramona come back."

"Where is it?" I asked a little too anxiously before adding, "And how are we getting in there anyways?"

"It's on the third floor of the hotel about a block down from here." Blair responded. "Also, I believe she'll be letting us in. We'll probably need to pay her back once we all get there."

"You mean once you and the others get there." I told Blair. I walked over to Syrus and said, "I'm heading over there now."

"What? You can't leave without us! Jaden and Ramona aren't back yet!" Blair argued.

"Well, they haven't called or texted anything to us lately, have they?" I snapped. I was just done with this nightmare we were currently living. "They must have trouble finding Atticus or whoever else could have done it. I'm tired of waiting and I'm starting to get sleepy. I'm heading over to that hotel right now whether you like it or not okay?"

"Why?" Tears streamed down Blair's face and I almost wished I could've taken back every word I just said. Almost. "Aren't you dying to know how everyone got spiked? Don't you want to stay here and help solve this mystery?"

"Look, of course I do. I want to know who spiked Syrus." I admitted. "But I'm not even helping right now. I'm just sitting back while Jaden plays hero. The best way I can help is by being there to comfort my husband when he wakes up tomorrow morning."

Blair reached out and grabbed my wrist. "Mindy, please stay for just a few more minutes."

"I'm sorry." I brushed her hand off of my wrist and picked up Syrus in my arms. He wasn't as heavy as I thought he was which makes sense for his size. "I'm tired and I'm heading out. See you soon, Blair."

Blair looked devastated. I kind of wish I didn't have to leave but I knew what I had to do. I walked out of that bar with Syrus in my arms and I didn't look back for a second. I couldn't stand this a minute longer. I had to get out of there. Like I said before, this night turned into a nightmare and I wish to no longer be a part of it. After finding the hotel and finding the elevator that led me to the third floor I called Jasmine. She picked up her phone on the second ring.

"Mindy, thank God you're calling!" Jasmine exclaimed, though her voice didn't seem like it belonged to her. "I need to tell you something."

"Yeah well, it can wait for a few minutes can it?" I asked. "I'm on the third floor of the hotel and Blair forgot to tell me which room you were in."

"217." Jasmine replied softly. It sounds like she'd been crying. "Where are you now?"

I spotted her door and rushed over to it after hanging up. I set Syrus down beside the door and knocked three times. Jasmine slowly opened the door. Yep, she was crying; she almost looked like Blair did when I left her behind at the bar. Before I could say anything she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a hug like I was her long lost sister. I hugged her back thinking that she was the closest thing I had to a sister, and that we were finally reunited.

**_Blair's POV_**

"Here," Zane handed me a napkin, "it looks like you need this."

I didn't say anything, but I quietly accepted the napkin and wiped away the tears that continued to fall. A little while after it stopped I threw the napkin away and said, "Thanks."

Zane nodded. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Yeah," I whispered, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seemed upset when you walked out of the restroom and you seemed to over react when Mindy left with Syrus." Zane's eyes narrowed. "Did something happen while you back there? Did that drunken girl do something to you?"

"No, not exactly. Not in the way you're probably thinking." I began. "But the girl did do something. She opened me up to common sense."

"How could she? She was drunk." Zane asked. "She probably didn't even know what she was saying."

"She was only talking about herself and how her ex-boyfriend cheated on her and how he and his friends were arrogant and complete idiots." I told him. "She was constantly wondering why she put up with them and why her boyfriend even liked her."

"And that's how you feel about Chazz right now." Zane stated.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Blair, you know he loves you." Zane assured me. "Why do you care what that woman thinks? If she can't put up with the idiots she was talking about then why was she hanging out with them tonight? Why was she trying to hit on that one short guy at the table?"

"Who?" I asked.

"Calvin Fudo. He had jet black hair, cobalt eyes, and a calm demeanor." Zane described. "She would hardly even let go of him. If she hated that guy then why was she being so friendly to him?"

"She was drunk, Zane! You know that!" I reminded him. "She was talking about going into the future and saving his dad or something as he was pulling her out of the restroom and he just laughed. How do we know that he wasn't trying to take advantage of her?"

"He didn't seem like that kind of guy." Zane said as I groaned from frustration. "He seemed peaceful and clear minded and was willing to help people. And even though that woman was drunk, it seemed that she still liked him, even before she started ordering alcohol. And he was willing to help his friend, or whatever relationship the two have, and help her get back to the future, I suppose. "

"Do you really believe that?" I asked him, still wondering even though I know what he would say.

"Every part except for the '_get her back to the future'_ part," Zane replied, smiling. "And that's not the point. Chazz is completely different from those men. He's not that arrogant."

"Are you blind? Even I know he's arrogant." I told him.

"Everyone calls it arrogance but it's actually pronounced as _pride_." He pulled keys out of his pocket and then knelt down and picked up Alexis.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Zane glimpsed at one of the clocks on the wall. "Look, I need to close right now so let's continue this conversation once we get outside. We can still wait for Ramona and Jaden."

"You don't have to wait for us, you know?" A male voice announced.

My head migrated from Zane to the two figures by the door. Jaden was holding a girl with brown hair that curled at the ends to frame her face. I've never seen her before but, judging by her foot, I felt like I already knew her. I smiled, "Hi Jaden and Ramona."

"Hi Blair," Jaden smiled back, "Hey Zane, do you want to trade Alexis for Ramona?"

"What do I look like to you, a duel monster's card?" Ramona asked Jaden.

Zane set Alexis down by his feet and studied Ramona. "Your foot looks worse than what I thought it would be."

"Ahem, you mean ankle." Ramona corrected. "And…yeah I know. I just wanted to catch Atticus so badly I tried to push past the pain. I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I was. I'm sorry."

"Did you catch him?" I asked.

"Unfortunately no," Jaden replied. "We lost him and we couldn't find him again."

"Jaden, you didn't tell me Alexis is…" Ramona smiled as her voice trailed off.

"Alexis is what?" Jaden asked. Everyone in the room glanced at Alexis. In my opinion, Alexis didn't seem any different from when she usually is. What is Ramona talking about?

"You mean you don't see it?" Ramona asked. Jaden continued to stare at her, so she sighed with a smile on her face. "Oh Jaden, Jaden, Jaden; I mean…I…well…it's nothing to worry about. But, um, be sure to _expect_ Alexis to tell you something very soon."

"Expect what?" He asked. "Since when did you think you could get a degree in…some word that means seeing into the future?"

"You mean premonition or precognition?" Ramona said. "They don't give those kinds of degrees where I'm at and if they did, I don't need them. I'm smarter than that and I'm about to get a medical degree!"

Zane walked over to Jaden and scooped Ramona out of his arms and into his own. "I see you two are getting along. Thank you Jaden for looking after Ramona tonight."

"Aw!" Ramona tightly wrapped her arms around Zane's neck as if she were hugging him. "You told him to look after me? That's so adorable!"

If Zane was aware of the small blush forming on his face, he didn't let on. He turned his head to look at me and said, "I still need to close up the bar. Blair, can you do me a favor and get Chazz out of here?"

"Of course, Zane," I tried my best to lift Chazz and hold him the way Zane was holding Ramona but I wasn't that strong. Instead, I carefully rested him over my left shoulder. Mindy was able to carry Syrus like he was a feather. Was she already at the hotel? "Hey Jaden, did you and Ramona run into Mindy on your way here?"

"No." Jaden answered while lifting Alexis into his arms and walking outside. "Are Mindy and Jasmine already at a hotel with their guys?"

"I guess so." I muttered. I held onto Chazz and slowly followed Jaden. It felt good to get some fresh air. The air was cool and the area was silent except for the jangling of keys as Zane closed the bar. We seemed to be the only people left on the street. I scanned the skyline before me and I could see -at least I think I could see- the outline of a hotel building. I started to go in that direction, "This way."

**_Jaden's POV_**

"Hey Zane, are you and Ramona coming with us?" I asked. "I think we could make some room for you two somehow."

"I appreciate the offer, but I need to take Ramona home and help her with her ankle." Zane replied. He gazed behind me and added, "You should catch up to Blair if you ever hope to find the hotel."

Yep, Blair was running like there was no tomorrow. I said goodbye to Ramona and Zane and ran after Blair. After a few minutes of chasing, we were finally side by side. "Geez Blair, slow down. We're not in a rush to get there, are we?"

Her pace slowed down to a walk as she shifted Chazz over to her right shoulder instead of her left. "Sorry."

We walked in silence for a while. Blair kept shifting Chazz from each shoulder as we walked. I don't mind the silence between us, but the street was too silent which made it unbearable for me. "So…" I began, trying to think of something to say, "How are things between you and Chazz?"

Blair didn't respond. She just kept walking without making a sound. We took a few more steps before I spoke, "Are you not responding because you don't want to talk or are things not going well between you and-"

"Why does Chazz love me?" Blair whispered.

I stopped walking. Blair turned around and looked at me with an expression that could be sad or serious. Her question surprised me. I didn't know what to say at first but I had to say something. Before I could stop myself I blurted out, "You've grown up so much Blair."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, when you were…" I began, wondering how I should word this, "Remember when you first came to Duel Academy disguised as a boy and how you had a huge crush on Zane? Remember how you had a crush on me after our first duel?"

"Yeah," Blair nodded, cautiously, "Where are you going with this?"

"Well, back then you sure were one crazy fan girl." I tried to explain, hoping that this all made sense somehow. "But now here you are, seriously wondering about Chazz and becoming independent and…I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting this; you've come a long way from the Blair I used to know."

"Is that a good thing?" Blair asked timidly.

I shrugged. "If you want to look at it that way, I guess so."

"So, if I've changed, then Chazz must not like the new me." Blair said.

"No, he loves everything about you." I told her. "This isn't making any sense. What prompted this? Why are you so unsure all of a sudden?"

"A drunken woman reminded me what could happen with arrogant jackasses." Blair said.

"That's it?" I asked.

"And I believed her. I believed a complete stranger because she was right." Blair admitted, gazing over Chazz's face. "All Chazz cares about it his ego so why would he even care about me?"

"He does care about you more than you think." I assured her. "And the girl was drunk so-"

"That's what Zane said." Blair added. "He also said something about how Chazz's arrogance is often confused with his pride."

"Well, there you go." I said making a vague gesture. "He cares about you because he has pride."

"Now you're the one not making sense." Blair groaned.

"No, I mean it." I told her. "Arrogance is when all you care about is your ego and you think everyone below you doesn't matter. Pride is when you have self-respect for yourself. It doesn't mean you don't care about others, Chazz loves you, okay?"

"But remember how you two almost got into a fight earlier because he thought he was the better duelist?" Blair continued.

"Hey, I never said he wasn't a jerk." I teased. Blair didn't think it was funny, so I let out a deep breath. "Okay look, I can prove to you how much Chazz cares about you. Just hand me his phone and I'll prove it."

"Why?" She asked uncertainly. Nevertheless, she gently lowered Chazz to the ground and still ended up searching for his phone before handing it to me.

I turned his phone on and showed the screen to Blair. "This is why he loves you."

Blair gasped, "Wait, you mean…"

"Yeah, he would kill me if he found out I showed this to you but…" The picture on the screen was of Blair and Chazz. Chazz was sitting in a chair and Blair was standing behind him with her hands on his shoulders. The picture was taken a while ago, shortly before we graduated from the Academy, for they both had on their Duel Academy uniforms. They both had smiles on their faces.

"So he, um, he has this picture as his lock screen background?" Blair asked, a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth.

I looked at the screen again to make sure. "Yep, he may have an ego but he still leaves enough space to have you with him." I gave Blair Chazz's phone and she tucked it back into his pocket. "Don't tell him I showed you that."

"I'll try." Blair said, lifting Chazz over her left shoulder once again. "Thank you for showing me. I'm starting to feel better already."

"No problem pal." I replied. After that, Blair and I happily continued to the hotel.

**_Jasmine's POV_**

"Did something bad happen?" Mindy asked, setting Syrus on the other twin bed. "Why does it look like you've been crying?"

"Nothing _bad_ happened." I explained, shutting the door behind me. Is it really that obvious that I've been crying? "I just found something that could change my life forever and it happens to be a small black box that just so happened to fall out of Bastion's pocket."

"Oh my gosh, was Bastion planning to propose to you?" Mindy asked, absolute glee filling her voice.

"I don't know, and that's the problem." I sat on the other twin bed where Bastion lay and I started stroking his hair. "I've already seen it. Now what am I supposed to do when he finally does propose?"

"Tell him you saw it." Mindy said. "It's going to come up eventually so you might as well tell him about it once he wakes up."

"I…I don't want to push it out of him." I protested. "Maybe he was saving it for the perfect moment."

"You really think that?" Mindy scoffed. "You married an incredibly smart guy, Jasmine. He should know that there's no such thing as a perfect moment."

"What are you talking about? There are perfect moments in life and that's when special occasions happen." I stated. "Don't you understand?"

"_You_ need to understand." Mindy explained. "When Syrus and I went on our first date there weren't any perfect moments waiting for us. We made those moments ourselves because of our actions and we had a great first date. If Bastion is honestly waiting for the perfect moment to propose, I'm afraid he'll have to wait the rest of his life for that moment."

Mindy was right. We create the moments we cherish most. "So, I suppose I should tell him I saw the box and then hope for the best?"

"I really don't see any other options." Mindy agreed sadly. "It's probably not going to be the proposal you've always wanted but-"

"That doesn't matter." I interrupted. "As long as he is the man who proposes, I don't care about how it happens."

Mindy smiled. "You love him a lot, I can tell."

I returned the smile and nodded. Not a second after I did that, there was a knock on the door. "That's got to be the others. They must've left the bar."

"I'll get the door." Mindy said walking over to the door and putting her hand on the knob. "They don't need to see that you've been crying."

"It's no problem, I…" I trailed off. Mindy already opened the door.

"Hey guys," Mindy said cheerfully while standing in the doorway. "Did you catch Atticus?"

"No, Jaden and Ramona couldn't find him." Blair said. I couldn't see her because Mindy was blocking my view but I recognized her voice. "Atticus got away; we'll probably find him once we get some rest."

"Can we come in?" Jaden asked.

Mindy glanced over her shoulder to look at me before answering. "Um, give us a minute please? We just need to, uh, clean up in here real quick."

She shut the door and turned to me. "I can stall while you wash off those mascara stains. Here's your chance."

"They don't have to see me at all." I got off the bed and walked over to the table searching for the key cards to the other room. As soon as I found them, I extended my arm to Mindy. "Here, give them these. These are the key cards for room 219, which is right next door. I thought it might be better if we all didn't have to be stuck in the same hotel room."

"How were you able to afford these?" Mindy asked.

"Bastion and I have saved up some money over the years. However, I think we'll be broke now." I explained. "Hotel rooms are pretty expensive and I don't think diamond rings are any cheaper than that."

"Don't worry." Mindy took the key cards from my hand. "Blair said that we should all help pay you back. We might as well start now. How much were the hotel rooms?"

"We can handle that in the morning." I replied. "The only thing I care about right now is sleep. I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Mindy yawned. She opened the door and directed her attention to Jaden and Blair. "Hey, Jasmine got key cards for the room next to us so…"

Mindy continued to explain the situation to them. I went into the bathroom and washed my face. Tomorrow, we would hopefully find Atticus and make him pay. And tomorrow, Bastion might propose. I wasn't sure whether to be excited or nervous about that last part; both of those feelings seemed to be arguing with each other right now. I'll just have to sleep on it I guess.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Mindy's POV_**

8:34 AM

That's what time I woke up. Apparently, Bastion's puking didn't wake me up. He was in the bathroom retching and I assumed Jasmine was knelt beside him because neither one of them were in the other bed. Syrus's puking did wake me up, however. He sat on the edge of the bed with his head in the mini trash can that hotels always have in each room. I cringed. It probably wasn't the best way to start the morning for him. When I sat up and stretched, he wiped his mouth with a tissue he held in his right hand and turned to look at me. When he spoke, I tried my best to hide my disgust from the vomit. "I'm sorry Mindy; I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." I assured him, climbing out from under the covers and sitting beside him on the bed. "Just blame Atticus."

"Yeah, might as well." Syrus shrugged. We sat there for a minute listening to Bastion vomiting; I wasn't sure what to say next. Finally, Syrus asked, "Hold on, why would I want to blame Atticus?"

"Do you remember anything that happened last night?" I asked him.

"I remember heading into Zane's bar and ordering something. I can't remember anything past that."

Crap! I wasn't expecting this. I was about to tell him everything that happened from beginning to end when I remembered the promise we made to Jaden:

_"One last question" Jasmine asked, "when they wake up what should we say to them?"_

_"I think it would be best if we don't tell them anything about what happened tonight." Jaden replied. "Just make it seem like tonight was an ordinary night and they got extremely drunk."_

_"Why?" I asked._

_"I don't know, it's just…" Jaden started, "something in my gut tells me that they shouldn't know about this."_

_"You don't want them to worry do you?" Ramona asked._

_"Don't want who to worry?" Blair asked._

_"Jaden, it's perfectly understandable that you don't want Alexis, Chazz, Bastion, and Syrus to worry about what happened tonight but they deserve the right to know." Ramona continued. "Let's face it; they're probably going to find out anyways so we might as well tell them when they wake up. Why don't you want to tell them?"_

_"Blair, promise me that you, Jasmine and Mindy won't tell the others the truth about what happened. Promise me this, please?" Jaden pleaded._

_"I…"Blair stammered._

_"We promise Jaden." Jasmine answered. "You go after Atticus and we'll find a hotel to take them to."_

"Mindy?" Syrus asked, but I didn't answer him. I almost completely forgot about our promise and I've already revealed a part about Atticus. What on Earth am I going to do? I can't tell him anything about last night. I can't explain the spiked drinks, the talk with his brother or the secrets I uncovered about him. There's got to be a loophole somewhere but…ugh, I can't think with him staring at me like that. Syrus spoke again, "Mindy are you alright?"

"Huh, um, yeah I'm fine?" I said uncertainly.

"Um, okay," Syrus said in the same uncertain manner. "So, uh, what really happened last night?"

"You got really drunk." I blurted out before I could change my mind. "I guess one too many drinks knocked you out, right?"

"I don't know. I don't really remember drinking that much."

"Of course not; you were drunk." I explained rapidly. "Youknowhowpeoplearewithalcoholtheyhaveonedrinkandtheycanneverremembertherest."

"What's wrong?" He asked. I was about to object and tell him that nothing is wrong when he interrupted. "You always talk fast when something is wrong or you're trying to hide something."

"Oh, um," I had to think fast. What could I say? "Look, um, Syrus-"

"Good morning." Bastion announced behind us. I turned to glance at him. Jasmine was standing beside him with her hand on his shoulder. Bastion looked a little queasy but other than that, he seemed fine. "Or, well, bad morning I suppose; you know, because of…"

"The vomit," Syrus finished for him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry if I woke you two up." Bastion apologized.

"Don't worry." I told him. "You didn't wake us up."

"That's good." Jasmine smiled. She tilted her head towards Bastion. "Syrus, why don't you and Bastion talk for a little bit while I pull Mindy into the hall with me? I need to speak to her about something."

"Uh sure I guess," Syrus replied. "No problem."

Relieved that I wouldn't have to worry about Syrus's questions, I quickly followed Jasmine into the hallway. Once we closed the door behind us she said, "I need your advice again."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Do you remember the promise we made to Jaden?" She asked.

"Yeah," I let out a sigh. "It popped into my head this morning, right when I was about to tell him about Atticus."

"Shit, does he know?" Panic filled Jasmine's voice. "How much does he know?"

"All I said was 'just blame Atticus;' nothing more." I assured her. "He doesn't really know anything and he won't if he doesn't ask questions."

"Okay, so what about Bastion?" Jasmine asked.

"What about him?"

"Last night you told me that I should tell him I saw the box." Jasmine explained. "Now what do I do? If I told him that I saw it, wouldn't that reveal things that happened last night?"

"Hmm, you've got a point." I mused aloud. "Our cover story is that they got really drunk right? What if he got drunk and when you put him on the bed his stuff fell out of his coat pocket and that's how you saw the box? It's pretty much what actually happened."

"So, you're saying that I should tell him?" Jasmine questioned.

"Yeah," I answered, "why not?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure I should tell him." She clarified. "You were right about the perfect moment thing but I don't think you're right about the fact that I should tell him I saw it. What if he's not ready? What if I'm pushing it out of him? What if it's not genuine or something or if he doesn't actually mean it? What if he really doesn't want to marry me? What if-"

"Calm down. Take a chill pill will you?" I tried my best to make her relax but I doubt it was working. "You shouldn't be thinking like this. Eliminate all of those 'ifs' floating around you and stick to what you know. Would Bastion ever do those things?"

"I, uh, I don't know." She said softly.

"Look, you don't need my help. You need to figure things out for yourself." I told her. "You do what you think you should do. If your heart tells you not to tell him, don't tell him. It's up to you."

"It's funny," Jasmine whispered, "Yesterday I cried in a public restroom because I wasn't going to be married. Today it sure sounds like I'm trying to avoid a proposal."

"Yeah, I guess so." I said, not really knowing what else to say. I reached for the doorknob and walked into our room, Jasmine following behind me. Bastion was looking at us with a weird expression on his face and Syrus had his head turned away. Something wasn't right about this picture.

"Jasmine, did you go through my pockets last night?" Bastion asked. "Everything is placed in the wrong pocket."

I turned to Jasmine. "Okay, now you have to tell him."

**_Blair's POV_**

Five hours of sleep wasn't terrible, though I would've liked to sleep in longer. I heard someone throwing up and that caused me to awaken from my peaceful slumber. I sat up and surveyed my surroundings. Chazz was still asleep beside me and Jaden was snoring over on the other twin bed in the room. Alexis was gone and the bathroom light was on as her vomiting echoed upon the walls.

I got out of bed and walked over towards Alexis. Her head was posed over the toilet as she…well…you know. When she looked up and realized I was watching her, she said, "Morning Blair. Can you hold my hair for a second?"

Without speaking, I complied. Alexis continued throwing up some more before wiping her face with a wad of toilet paper and flushing everything down. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"No worries." I said slowly, letting go of her hair. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She replied. "Though, I'm vomiting more than what I normally do and I can't seem to remember what happened last night."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "What do you mean when you say you're vomiting more than what you normally do?"

"Uh, nothing," she seemed distracted but I didn't say anything, "so, what happened last night?"

"Um," Jaden made me promise that I wouldn't tell them about how everyone got spiked again. Although Jasmine agreed to it, I wasn't quite sure about it myself. But a promise is a promise and even though I had my own opinion Jasmine spoke for the rest of us. I couldn't let her, Jaden, or everyone down. "Everyone got super wasted last night and passed out."

"Oh, I didn't drink anything last night did I?" Alexis asked. "You know, like, alcohol?"

"I don't remember what you ordered." Alexis was acting different. I wasn't sure if I was right but something about her didn't quite add up. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes Blair, I swear to you that I am absolutely positively fine." She smiled softly, though to me it looked kind of forced. "What makes you think I'm not?"

"The way you explained your irregular vomiting, the unconsciousness, how you keep trying to avoid my questions," I listed, "All of that stuff."

"I'm just tired." Alexis said, though I could easily tell she was lying. There were vomiting sounds in the air again. "I think Chazz is awake now."

As much as I wanted to keep up the interrogation, Chazz needed me so I rushed out of the bathroom and went to his side. Luckily, Jaden was already there beside Chazz. Chazz had a small trash can in his hands as he continued to throw up. Jaden was sitting beside him, patting Chazz on the back. Jaden looked up when he saw me and smiled, "Morning Blair."

"Good morning." I replied. "I'm surprised you're awake right now."

He shrugged. "I honestly thought I could sleep through anything, but I guess not." He looked past me and said. "You alright Alexis?"

"I'm fine, for now." She said.

"Ugh, so am I." Chazz added, wiping his mouth with a tissue. "What happened last night?"

"What do you remember?" I asked.

"Jaden and I were arguing about who was the better duelist, which is still me by the way." He began as I overcame the urge to roll my eyes. "Then we went into a bar where Zane was working. Everybody ordered something and you, Jaden, Mindy and Jasmine left for the restroom."

Odd; that was everything I remembered before they got spiked. Does that mean they saw who spiked them? "What happened next?" I asked him.

"I don't know, it was kind of blurry after that." Chazz continued. "All I remember was that Zane gave us our drinks and I took a few sips. After that, everything just went black."

"Same thing with me," Alexis added, "I can't remember anything past that. Blair said everyone got wasted last night, is that true Jaden?"

"Yes!" Jaden replied without hesitation. Then a bewildered look crossed his face. "I mean no…well…maybe?"

"She asked you a question, Jaden." Chazz said grumpily. "I suggest you give her an actual answer this time. Maybe you could give her an answer that makes sense?"

"This doesn't make sense." Jaden said. "You ordered a coke Alexis, remember? You couldn't have gotten drunk. There is no way you could have passed out unless…"

"Unless what?" Alexis asked nervously.

Jaden looked to me with panic in his eyes. Our cover was blown and he knew it. And this look he was giving me was indication that we had to think of something quick or else they'll know about the spiked drinks. I tried my best to clear my mind. Alexis ordered coke, which was non-alcoholic…she's been throwing up lately…wait a minute!

"Alexis are you…" I purposely let that sentence hang in the air, hoping that Alexis would understand what I was trying to say.

It took her a full minute to understand what I was getting at. Finally she nodded and turned her attention to Jaden. "Jaden, there's something I'm not telling you."

"What are you saying?" Jaden looked at Alexis, then me, and then back to Alexis. "What are you talking about?"

"I wasn't sure when to tell you about this but," Alexis took a deep breath, "I'm pregnant."

Jaden's eyes widened. Alexis turned her head away from him, looking awfully sheepish. I sighed a relieved sigh because our cover wasn't blown and because my quick assumption was correct.

And Chazz threw up in the trash can.

**_Jaden's POV_**

After a couple minutes of vomiting while the rest of us stayed in silence, Chazz wiped his mouth with the tissue again. "I swear I didn't mean to do that."

"It's alright; we know." I replied. I turned back to Alexis. "So, um, you're pregnant?"

"Yeah," Alexis admitted, "Look I'm sorry I-"

"Why are you sorry?" I interrupted. This explained so much now! That's why Alexis ordered a coke. It also reveals what Ramona was hinting at last night when we were leaving. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Yes I do," She cried. "I didn't tell you when I first heard about it. You should've found out sooner, I mean, you _are_ the father after all. I was just too afraid of what your reaction might be."

"What did you think my reaction would be?" I asked.

"I don't know." Alexis whispered. "I thought you might be…"

She trailed off without finishing the sentence but I knew what she was going to say. I took three steps towards her and pulled her close to me so she was in my embrace. "No, I would never want that to happen. I love you more than anything and I know that I will love our child just as much and if not more."

We hugged a second longer before she pulled away and looked me in the eyes. "You're crying."

"I'm going to be a father." I told her, wiping my tears away with my hand. "It's one of the happiest phrases I'll ever know to be true."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Blair asked.

"I don't know yet, I'm only three months along." Alexis explained.

"Congratulations." Chazz said. "But this still doesn't explain why she was unconscious."

I looked to Blair for another answer. She shrugged, "Maybe Alexis was sleepy last night and she just fell asleep."

Before Chazz could say anything I said, "Yeah that's probably it. We should get moving. Do you think the others are awake?"

"It's about quarter till nine." Alexis said. "Let's wait about fifteen minutes and then we can go check."

"Alright," I turned to Chazz, "Hey Chazz, do you feel like playing duel monsters while we wait? Or are you too sick to even move."

"Please," Chazz sneered, "I won't ever back down from a challenge."

Chazz and I each pulled out our decks and started shuffling them. I heard Alexis groan, "Here they go again. It looks like Chazz can still be arrogant even after he throws up."

"That's not arrogance." Blair said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "That is Chazz's pride."

**_Jasmine's POV_**

"Bastion I can explain." I pleaded. Mindy shut the door behind me and walked past Bastion and I to go sit beside Syrus on the bed. I tried to think of how to explain the situation. "It's not at all what it looks like."

"Why is Bastion getting mad about a few minor pocket displacements?" Syrus asked Mindy.

"Let's just say that this is no minor pocket displacement." Mindy replied.

"Jasmine, did you go through my pockets last night?" Bastion repeated. "It is a simple yes or no question."

"It's not that simple!" I cried. "The answer could honestly be either one. Look Bastion, I can explain."

"Then go ahead and explain. I'm listening." Bastion said, crossing his arms and sitting on the bed opposite of Syrus and Mindy. "Enlighten me."

"I was dragging your unconscious body up to this room that I paid for and I tried to set you on the bed." I began. "You did get on the bed but your belongings didn't and they ended up slipping out of your pockets and when I went to go put them away…I saw it, Bastion. I saw the box."

He paused. "Did you open it?" He asked.

"Yes." I said, staring at the floor. "I didn't think it was real at first. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Bastion said which made me look up. "It's not your fault."

"But I saw it!" I cried. "Doesn't that ruin everything?"

"In Greek mythology, when the gods created Pandora, they gave her gifts such as beauty and cunning." Bastion said, standing up and crossing over to me. "But they also gave her curiosity. And that curiosity is what caused her to open the box she was given and was told to never open. That curiosity now lives in every woman."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked.

He uncrossed his arms and gently grabbed my hands. "I was afraid to propose to you and I didn't know when the perfect time was to do so. I should've known that if I waited too long, you would have found it anyways."

"There's no such thing as a perfect time." I reminded him.

"I know." He replied. "At least, I should've known that. I love you, Jasmine."

"I love you too, Bastion." I smiled. I was so glad that things turned out alright.

"So, now what?" Mindy asked. "Are you guys getting married or are you just going to stay friends forever?"

"Mindy!" I warned her.

"She does have a point." Bastion smirked. He reached out of his pocket and pulled out the small black box. He then lowered himself so that he was on his left knee. I stood there like a statue as he opened the box and said those magnificent words. "Jasmine, will you do me the honor of taking my hand in marriage and-"

"Yes!" I cried. Tears were streaming down my face as he slipped the ring onto my finger, got up, and kissed me. I really was the happiest girl alive.

After our engagement, we found out that Alexis was pregnant and decided to celebrate. That night, after everyone paid Bastion and I for the hotel rooms we all went out to dinner and split the bill evenly among the eight of us. We ran into Ramona and Zane, who announced that they were now dating, and told them about everything that happened.

Later on in the evening, Jaden, Mindy, Blair and I had a private meeting. We promised that we would never speak of the spiked drinks for a long time. That meant that we couldn't go after Atticus for what he did, at least not for a while. We didn't want the others to worry. But as soon as we speak about the spiked drinks to the others, we're coming for him. All of us, together.


	8. Chapter 8 (Epilogue)

**_FOUR YEARS LATER_**

Once Jasmine finished the story, the nine individuals sat in silence. The story was out and everyone knew it. After a moment of thinking, Atticus was the first person to speak. "So what happened after that? Is that when you found out that I wasn't the person who spiked the drinks?"

"Weren't you listening?" Jasmine screeched. "How many times must I explain it? We thought you did it all along until tonight!"

"We were going to confront you when we saw you at Bastion's and Jasmine's wedding," Mindy explained, "but that wasn't really a good time to do so."

"We haven't really seen you much over the years." Jaden chimed in, "But I'm glad you're here tonight. At least we can finally find the truth."

"So you didn't do it?" Blair asked. "Were you even in the area?"

"I was in the area, and I knew Zane used to work at that bar," Atticus mused aloud, "and I might have gone into that club Ramona saw me near on that night-"

"Ew! My brother went into a strip club." Alexis interrupted, looking sick.

"Hey! In my defense," Atticus said innocently, "Your husband went in there too that evening."

"I had every reason to go in there." Jaden replied. "I was searching for you! Besides, the place was swarming with male strippers. Why were you even in there?"

"Hey Syrus," Atticus glanced in Syrus's direction. "Did you get a haircut or something because it looks really nice and-"

"Don't change the subject." Mindy snapped. "Why were you in that club?"

Atticus didn't say anything. Eight pairs of eyes were boring into him and he avoided all of them by pretending they weren't there. Syrus whispered, "I didn't get a haircut by the way."

"Look Atticus, it's not really that hard of a question." Bastion explained. "You have four answers you could possibly give. You were either A) there because you got lost B) there because you work there C) there because you are gay or D) you really did spike the drinks after all and you went there to throw us off course and you are trying to be innocent here by playing dumb. So which one is it: A, B, C, or D?"

"What do you think it is?" Atticus challenged.

"I'm going to go with choice D." Chazz answered.

"I'm sorry, but the correct answer is E) none of the above." Atticus smiled. "But thanks for playing."

"What are you talking about?" Jasmine asked. "That can't be right!"

"Well, it is." Atticus said his expression now serious. "Though I guess it could be considered as choice A but I wasn't lost. I was just bored and was walking around the area. Everyone knows that Saturday nights is when people get out of the house and celebrating stuff!"

"You have got to be kidding me." Blair groaned, leaning back on the couch. "You probably just made that up on the top of your head."

"It's true!" Atticus insisted. "I mean, at least I think it's true. To be honest, I am terrible at matchmaking despite the incident ten years ago. I can't even find my one true soul mate!"

"One true soul mate?" Bastion scoffed. "Soul mates don't exist. There is no such thing as _a soul mate_. It is statistically impossible for there to be any such thing as-"

"I thought I was your soul mate!" Jasmine pouted.

"You are exquisite, beautiful, enigmatic, most wonderful wife a man like me could ever have." Bastion said quickly, wrapping his arms around Jasmine in a loving hug.

"Suck up," Chazz coughed.

"I heard that." Bastion narrowed his eyes.

"Good," Chazz smiled, "I wanted you to hear."

"Do you really think it is wise to argue with me?" Bastion asked.

Chazz shrugged. "I think it would be fun to argue with you."

"Guys calm down." Alexis ordered them. "So what's this about not finding a soul mate?"

"I'm getting older every day." Atticus said. "I guess it's about time I settle down and start being more of an adult."

"That's great and all," Blair said, "How does that explain the whole strip club thing?"

"Simple, I was trying to find someone." Atticus explained. "Though, I forgot that that place was one of the strip clubs instead of just a regular club. Needless to say, I didn't stay that long."

"That explains everything." Jaden said. "Ramona saw you go in there but we never found you. You probably would've gone out by the time we got there and that was why we never saw you."

"Probably," Atticus agreed. "Sorry I didn't stay there longer."

"Nice job, Jaden." Chazz said.

Jaden looked over to him. Childishly, he asked, "Do you really think so?"

"Yeah," Chazz began, "for a Slifer Slacker."

"Do you want to come over here and say that to my deck?" Jaden confronted, "because it will take you down all on its own!"

"He's got nothing to prove, so back off Jaden." Blair ordered darkly.

"Do as she says Jaden. You do not want to mess with a pregnant lady." Alexis smirked.

Jaden groaned. "Alright, I will. So, Atticus never spiked us the second time. That's kind of weird, right?"

"Yeah, but if it wasn't Atticus," Syrus began, "then who was it?"

Everyone leaned back in their seats. Their only suspect just got ruled out. None of them really cared about who the person was anymore but their curiosity still stayed with them. For them, it would seem that answer would have to remain a mystery.

Meanwhile, in an apartment building on the third floor of the complex, a man with shoulder length blue hair and a woman with short chin length brown hair were walking back to their place, hand in hand as if nothing could tear them apart. The man was speaking about the duel he was in today as the woman listened absentmindedly. She knew today was special, that something happened on this day a long time ago, but she couldn't think of what it was. Finally it dawned on her and she interrupted the man's story. "Zane, do you have any idea what today is?"

"It's a Friday." Zane said. "Why do you ask?"

"No that's not what I meant." The woman continued. "Think back to ten years ago when you and I were back at the Academy. Remember the story you told me about? It happened on this exact date!"

Zane pondered a moment, "I remember, Ramona. That was when Atticus spiked the drinks at that one party, right?"

Ramona nodded. "Yep, and this is the tenth anniversary of that day. Hey, do you remember the time when someone spiked the drinks at the bar that you used to work at four years ago?"

"Yeah," Zane said, stopping at their door and letting go of Ramona's hand so he can fumble around for the keys. "And again, why do you ask?"

"Have you ever wondered about who did it that time?" Ramona asked, leaning against the door to look at Zane. "I mean, everyone thinks it was Atticus who did it but I have my doubts. It might not have been him or it might have been him all along."

"Yeah, it wasn't him." Zane replied, sounding bored.

"How can you be so sure?" Ramona asked as Zane found the key and started unlocking the door. "Do you know who it was?"

"Yeah, it was me."

The door opened so swiftly that Ramona fell on her back as Zane stepped through the doorway. He extended his hand to her and helped her get to her feet. Once Ramona was standing, Zane walked to the kitchen without another word. Ramona immediately followed him, wanting nothing more than to know how the story ended and how he was the cause of the story.

"WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU MEAN IT WAS YOU!?" Ramona yelled.

Zane got a glass from a cabinet and walked over to the sink with his back to Ramona. "It was me. Do you not understand the words?"

"_Do you not understand the words?"_ Ramona mocked. "Oh please. But seriously, how on earth…why did you…why did you spike the drinks? That doesn't even sound like you."

"I don't remember it all that well." Zane admitted, filling the glass with water. "I think I did it because of how distant they all acted towards each other. There was some kind of conflict in the air that was causing everyone to be mad at each other."

"So you end spiking them and expecting them to have a good time after that?" Ramona accused. "Did you have any idea how dangerous it is to do that?"

"It was a long time ago, and I admit, it wasn't that wise of a decision." Zane said, turning to face Ramona. "If I had known that Alexis was pregnant at the time, I would have never even attempted it. I could tell how unhappy she was that night. Syrus seemed ashamed of something; Blair was losing confidence, and Jasmine was just overall angry. Also, Jasmine and Blair weren't getting along at all. I thought that if I had the chance to bring them all together like the little family that they are then maybe they'd stop getting on each other's nerves at every turn."

"And that's why you spiked them?"

"They worked together so well during the Atticus spiking. In fact, that's how they all got together in the first place. I figured that if they'd work together again then their relationships would strengthen as a whole." Zane sighed. "Look, I know it was risky and stupid-"

"For god's sake Zane, I thought it was Atticus the whole time!" Ramona screeched. "I flashed that bouncer for nothing!"

"What?"

"N-Nothing important," Ramona flushed nervously. "But can you tell me something?"

"I will if you'll tell me about the bouncer." Zane smirked, taking a sip of his water.

"Are you sure you weren't trying to get the credit Atticus got when he spiked them?"

"You know I would never do that." Zane answered coolly.

"I don't know." Ramona smiled, innocently. "You two have been very friendly but yet, very competitive with each other."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that having Atticus receive thanks and good luck for spiking them is probably the most unreasonable thing I've ever heard." Ramona continued. "I mean, when they caught you they didn't say anything along those lines now did they? They just gave you cold hearted stares of hatred. But towards Atticus they were more lenient? Were you seeing things or were they blind?"

"You know, I'm glad you became a doctor," Zane said dryly, "because if you became a psychiatrist and sounded this ridiculous, you wouldn't have any clients."

"Funny." Ramona smiled, amused. "I was just saying what I thought. Is that occasion also the reason why you decided to ignore the invitation Jaden and Alexis sent us to go to their house party tonight?"

"Kind of," Zane replied, heading to the living room. Ramona followed him yet again.

"Does that mean you're afraid of them?" Ramona asked mischievously.

Zane set his glass down on the coffee table and he flopped onto the couch. "No, I'd just rather spend time with you."

"Aw!" Ramona squealed with delight. Zane knew that she would forget the whole situation if he said something like that. Ramona took a seat next to him on the couch and rested her head against his shoulder. "You're turning into quite the softie, you know that?"

"What can I say, I love you Ramona."

"I love you too Zane." Ramona said, closing her eyes. "I'm just glad I know the end to the mystery."

"Yeah," Zane let Ramona close her eyes for a few more minutes before asking. "So, what's this about flashing the bouncer?"

Ramona's eyes snapped open. The story about the spiked drinks may be over but she still had to tell Zane about the stupid bouncer. "Crap."


End file.
